4714

Author(s): Chandler Davis

Source: The American Mathematical Monthly, Vol. 64, No. 9 (Nov., 1957), pp. 679-680
Published by: Mathematical Association of America
Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/2309982 .
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1957]

679

ADVANCED PROBLEMS AND SOLUTIONS

Since, fromthe firstequation, r must be divisible by m, it is either0, m, 2m or

3m. If m>4, the requirementthat the remaindersform2and (m+2)2 be squares
demands r=O but then, in order that the remaindersfor (m+1)2 and(m+3)2
be squares, m must also be 0, an impossibilitysince n>1. Inspection of the
cases m = 1, 2, 3, 4 completes the proofwith the result stated at the outset.

Also solvedby H. F. Bennett,W. J. Blundon,D. A. Breault,RobertBreusch,N. J. Fine,

A. S. Gregory,
A. R. Hyde,and D. C. B. Marsh.In severalofthesesolutionstheproofthatthere
are no othervaluesofn was incomplete.
EditorialNote.The presentresultfollowsas an easy consequencefromthat of problemno.
fourmonths.
4737 [1957,277] forwhicha solutionwillappearin approximately
Extremaofa Polynomial

4714 [1956, 729]. Proposed by ChandlerDavis, Columbia Universityand the

New Schoolfor Social Research
For a real polynomialP(x) of degree n, denote the zeros of P'(x) (multiplic-

itycounted)byti,i = 1, * * *,n-1. Assumeall {i real,andlet41-<t2

<_

* *

<_

n-l-

Now to what extentare the numbersP(Qi) arbitrary?More precisely,give necessary and sufficientconditionson an (n - 1)-tuple of real numbers-ql,* * ,
in order that there exist a polynomial P such that P'(Qi)=0, P(Qi)=r=i, i
=1, * * , n-1.
i=2, 3, * , n-l,
Solution by theproposer.The numbers (-1)i(n-nil),
must be either all nonnegative or all nonpositive.This condition is obviously
necessary. The proofof sufficiencyfollows,assuming arbitrary (-1)i(s-qfi-i)
-<0, 1?O.
It is no restrictionto consider only the case 0?<1< n-l< 1; define 40= 0,
n=1. Only polynomials P such that P(0) = 0 will be considered. It will be
i=1, * , n, can be
shown that the numbers 0i=(-1)i-1{PQi)-PQi-1)1,
chosen arbitrarilyprovided only c/? 0. (The trivialcase /i=0, P(x) = 0 will also
be excluded.) Using the notation
P(x)

Af

n1
Px
i(

-x)dx,

A >0,

justifiedby the assumptionsmade above, defineforconvenience5i = A (Qi i=1, . .. , n. Now the main point in the proofis to consider the q5ias n functions of the n variables 31, * * *,
of n-space &ndefinedby the reranges over the set 6Wn
First, (81, * * *,
quirementthat all coordinatesbe nonnegativeand not all be zero; (qi, * * * , n)
is in (ynalso, it must be shown that it can have any value in yn.Now the boundary is mapped into the boundary and the interiorinto the interior,forSi = 0 if
and only if q$i=0. Every ray through the origin is mapped onto some ray
throughthe origin (two points on the same ray differonly in the values of A).
Evidently 1, * * * , (n-l, A are continuous functionsof the bi, and the (i are
continuous functions of 1,
, {n-l, A. The associated Jacobians will be

an

an)

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680

[November

ADVANCED PROBLEMS AND SOLUTIONS

proved nonzero for

* * , ,a) in the interiorof
that is, for {,> -1,
6"n,
(Si,give the result.
1, . . t n; this will
It is easy to compute 4(i1, . . ., n-ly A)/O(61, . . . I Sn)=A-n+'.
For
i= 1, * **, n, define

i3

C~~ P' (x)

Ofr~~

aij=-=

ain

dx, j=

1,**,n-1,

P'(x)dx.

It must be shown that the determinantof the matrixffaij4f

is not zero.
If it were zero, there should be some linear relationof the form
holding independentof i. This would mean that the function

El

F(x)

n-1

P'()

Cn

{-x

=0,

cj P ) + CP'(x),

a polynomial of degree n -1, would integrate to zero between x = ts_ and

x = t, i =1, * * *, n; hence that foF(x)dx, a polynomial of degree n, would be
zero at the n+1 points 4o,
, (n, so that F(x) 0. But the n summands of
F(x) are easily seen to be linearly independent,so the only possibility is all
cj=0. This completes the proof.

4 determineP uniquely proRemark. The argumentshows that 01,

n,O
vided no qi is zero. This restrictioncan be removed by a refinementof the same
argument. It would be interestingto findan "interpolation"formulaforP in
termsof the 4,.
Editorial
Note.A. W. Goodman
askstheanalogous
question
forthecomplex
domain:
Canthe
branchpointsof (theimagedomainof)a polynomial
be prescribed
in advance?Thatis,given
n-1 complex
numbers
B1,**. ,B.-,, aretherea polynomial
n,andn-1 complex
P(x) ofdegree
numbersC1,* * * , Cn-,suchthatP'(Ck)=O, P(Ck)=Bk, k=1,
I
* , n-I? One may assumethe

Bk are all distinctforsimplicity.

Simultaneous
Equations
4715 [1956, 729]. Proposed byR. S. Underwood,Texas TechnologicalCollege
Find real solutions of the equations
x2 + y2 + Z2 + U+ V=

in case (a) D =-3, and (b) D

other values of D?

D,

X2+

y2

z2

+-

u2

v2

= 1,

15/4. What can be said about the solutions for

I. Solution by W. J. Blundon, Memorial Universityof Newfoundland.Subtractingthe firstfromthree times the second gives

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